U.S. inflation ticked up 0.3% on a seasonally adjusted basis from November to December 2025, according to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Even with the increase, analysts and markets are betting the U.S. Federal Reserve will stay put and leave the federal funds rate unchanged when it meets in two weeks.

Since the Department of Justice (DOJ) opened a probe into the U.S. Federal Reserve over its renovation projects, and Chair Jerome Powell has brushed it off as a clash over monetary policy views, chatter about the central bank’s so-called independence has been everywhere.

Crypto ETFs started the week on firmer ground as bitcoin reversed four straight days of outflows, while ether, XRP, and solana all closed Monday in positive territory. The broad-based recovery hinted at stabilizing sentiment across digital asset funds.

This content is provided by a sponsor. Victoria, Seychelles, 13th January, 20

Alphabet reaches a $4 trillion market value, driven by its intensified AI focus. The Google parent is only the fourth company in history to hit the $4 trillion milestone after Nvidia, Microsoft and Apple.

Vaneck did the math to find the “real price of gold” if it were to reclaim its role as the global reserve asset, given that central banks have maintained steady demand. It estimated that each ounce of gold would be priced at $184,211 if adopted as broad money.

Senior Labour backbenchers are pressuring U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to ban cryptocurrency donations to political parties, warning that digital assets and AI make foreign interference cheaper and harder to trace.

Venture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz (A16z) has unveiled three predictions on how it sees crypto going “beyond crypto” this year.

Dubai authorities have unified regulations banning privacy coins and anonymity-enhanced tools across all jurisdictions, effective Jan. 12, 2026.

Crypto markets are entering a new phase as institutional and corporate capital reshape liquidity, infrastructure, and long-term participation, marking the end of a retail-only era while reinforcing digital assets as a permanent fixture in global finance.

Bitcoin’s explosive rally may have gone too far, with oversupply, rising volatility risk, and shifting macro forces setting the stage for a major reset that could redefine crypto’s next cycle, according to a Bloomberg Intelligence outlook.

Gold and silver surged to record territory as fears over U.S. monetary credibility, inflation risk, and geopolitical instability ignited aggressive safe-haven demand, pushing precious metals to the forefront of a widening global market recoil.

Mounting pressure on the Federal Reserve is reviving fears over U.S. monetary stability, pushing investors to reassess trust in central banking and accelerating capital flows toward bitcoin as a hedge beyond political control.

Silver’s rally may be nearing a dangerous peak, with growing speculation and selling pressure signaling a sharp pullback ahead even as long-term bullish conviction remains intact, according to Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki.

Ripple presses U.S. regulators to redraw the boundaries of crypto oversight, arguing securities laws should hinge on enforceable legal rights — not speculation, decentralization, or trading behavior — and warning that blurred lines could permanently expand SEC jurisdiction.